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Psyduck opened its eyes groggily, blinking in confusion at the unfamiliar surroundings. Clutching its head with its stubby arms, the fat duck let out a low groan, as if suffering from a headache.
Seeing such a plump and juicy duck, Luffy's immediate thought was, of course, food.
Sanji, catching sight of Psyduck for the first time, couldn't help but muse aloud, "A duck this fat... roasted to a golden crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, sliced thin, and topped with my special sauce... it'd be absolutely delicious."
Luffy practically drooled at the thought. "Sanji! Let's cook it right now!"
Sensing their culinary intentions, Psyduck squawked in alarm, flailing its arms before turning tail and waddling away as fast as it could.
Ikki sighed, shaking his head. While he wasn't thrilled about Psyduck being summoned, he couldn't let it become dinner. As far as Pokémon went, Psyduck was... less than ideal. Sure, Golduck was powerful, but Psyduck itself was unreliable at best, with combat effectiveness that fluctuated wildly.
Before Ikki could intervene, Luffy's arm stretched out, effortlessly snagging the fleeing duck. Psyduck let out a panicked screech, and its eyes began to glow with an eerie blue light.
"Eh? My body's not moving!" Luffy exclaimed, struggling helplessly.
Ikki recognized what was happening. Psyduck, sensing danger, had instinctively activated its latent psychic powers.
"Luffy, the duck isn't food!" Ikki said firmly. "It's our companion now. Even if it's... not the most reliable one."
Zoro raised an eyebrow, pointing at the duck holding Luffy immobilized in midair. "You call that 'not very useful'?"
Ikki shrugged. "Strong abilities, sure. But they're unpredictable and hard to control."
At that moment, Nami stepped forward, her gaze softening as she looked at Psyduck. Despite its silly expression and clumsy demeanor, the duck was undeniably adorable. Without hesitation, she scooped it into her arms.
Psyduck flailed for a moment, trying to escape, but as soon as Nami's hand gently stroked its head, it stopped resisting. Its eyes half-closed in relaxation, and it let out a soft, contented quack.
"Miss Nami is so kind!" Sanji exclaimed, hearts practically floating around his head as he began circling Nami like a lovesick puppy.
Realizing the duck couldn't be eaten and was now considered a crewmate, Luffy immediately lost interest.
While this was happening, Luffy's attention shifted to the pile of items Ikki had summoned. He picked up the sleek suit and inspected it briefly before tossing it aside. The suit smacked Sanji right in the face.
Ikki chuckled and said, "Sanji, you're the only one on the ship who wears a suit. It's yours."
Sanji didn't protest. After Ikki explained its benefits—increased strength and agility—it was clear the suit was a perfect match for him.
Now, only two items remained: the food tree and the small light.
Luffy, ever curious, snatched up the flashlight. He immediately pointed it at Usopp and pressed the button.
In an instant, Usopp's body shrank down to a fraction of its size.
"Whoa! This is awesome!" Luffy exclaimed, shining the flashlight on Usopp repeatedly, shrinking him smaller and smaller until he was no bigger than a fingernail.
"Luffy, cut it out!" Usopp squeaked in protest, his tiny voice barely audible.
Ikki quickly took the flashlight back, pressing the enlarge button to return Usopp to his original size.
Luffy, however, had already come up with his next "brilliant" idea. "Hey, what if I make myself small? Then I could eat meat whole—like, one giant bite!"
Grinning from ear to ear, Luffy turned to Sanji, who was examining the food tree. "Sanji! Make me a piece of meat! The kind with bones!"
"Wait a minute!" Sanji replied to Luffy, then turned to Ikki. "Can this tree really grow delicious food? What kind of food are we talking about specifically?"
Ikki nodded and explained, "It depends on how you cultivate it. To grow food from the tree, you need to fertilize it. The type of fertilizer you use determines what the tree produces. For example, if you bury cooked food in the soil, the tree will grow that kind of food."
This was indeed how the food tree functioned, but Ikki privately noted that the system-made version was far more demanding than its counterpart from Toriko's world. There, food trees grew effortlessly in fertile soil teeming with nutrients. Here, however, the process required careful cultivation and effort.
After hearing Ikki's explanation, Sanji's mind began to race with possibilities.
"So, if I use spices as fertilizer, it'll grow spices. If I use cooked food, it'll grow more of that food," he mused aloud. "This could solve a lot of problems at sea. We'd never have to worry about running out of supplies."
But Sanji quickly dismissed the idea of growing ready-to-eat meals. As a chef, he valued the effort and heart he put into every dish. He wanted his crewmates to eat food made with care, not something produced like an assembly-line product. Still, he admitted to himself that if the crew ever faced starvation, the food tree might become a lifesaver.
Sanji decided to plant the food tree near the orange grove on the Going Merry. For its first fertilization, he used some commonly used spices and herbs, hoping to grow ingredients that would enhance his cooking.
After carefully tending to the tree, Sanji returned to the kitchen to prepare Luffy's requested meat. Once it was ready, he placed a steaming plate in front of the ever-hungry captain.
Luffy grinned from ear to ear but quickly turned to Ikki. "Ikki! Make me smaller!"
Ikki immediately understood what Luffy was planning.
"I'm telling you, Luffy, it won't work the way you think. Shrinking only reduces your size and weight. Sure, you'll feel like you're eating a lot, but when you grow back, it'll be like you haven't eaten anything at all. The food won't scale up with you."
Luffy tilted his head, completely lost in the explanation.
Seeing this, Ikki sighed. "Fine, you'll understand once you try it."
He activated the shrinking flashlight, reducing everyone on the deck—including Apis—to miniature size.
Once shrunken, Luffy and Usopp dove into the plate of meat, tearing into it with gusto.
"This is amazing!" Luffy shouted, lying sprawled across a giant slab of meat and stuffing his face.
Even the others found the experience amusing.
"This flashlight is incredible," Zoro said, taking a sip of his now-gargantuan wine bottle. "With this, we could save space on the ship by shrinking our supplies."
"That's a terrible idea!" Usopp countered immediately. "Didn't Ikki say the shrinking effect is temporary? If it wears off, all that stuff could damage the ship!"
The crew's laughter echoed across the deck, their spirits high as they enjoyed their shrunken adventure.
Meanwhile, a Marine warship was closing in on the Going Merry. This was the ship tasked with capturing Apis.
Onboard, a stern-looking Marine major stood at the helm, flanked by the mercenary Eric.
Initially, the major had no interest in the pirate ship ahead. "It's just a small-time crew," he muttered. "Focus on finding the girl."
Eric, however, stepped forward, holding out a bounty poster. "Major, this isn't just any pirate crew. Look closely—this is Monkey D. Luffy's ship."
The major studied the poster, which displayed Luffy's grinning face and a bounty of 30 million berries.
"A bounty worth 30 million in the East Blue?" the major said, frowning. "The headquarters already notified me that this bounty has been rescinded."
Eric blinked in surprise. "Rescinded? That's unheard of outside the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Even so," Eric continued, "we should intercept them. This is the only ship nearby. If the girl is on board, they might be hiding her."
The major considered this and nodded. "Fine. Prepare to engage."
Unbeknownst to the Marines, Ikki had already noticed their approach. Using his flying teigu, he launched himself into the air, heading straight for the warship.